Acid Burn
by Iwannabeamongoose
Summary: New Jump City, a decaying city home to a sadistic regime. Beast Boy and Raven are number one and two on the ruler's hitlist. Why? And what happened to the Teen Titans?  Rated M for violence, gore, maybe some sexual stuff... BBRae. My first written fanfic.
1. Cops, Ice, and Claws

Acid Burn

_Time doesn't always heal wounds._

**Author's Note: Set in AU, film-noir like city, maybe character death, multiple POV's, pairings: BBRae, small bit of RobStar. Characters are pretty OOC, but I feel that they would have changed in the world they live in now. Well, this is my first fanfic, though I realeased the first two chapters on the same day as my other fic and I don't really know how to use the program, so please excuse any formatting errors. Rated M for violence, gore, maybe sexual stuff. Flames will be accepted, but only CONSTRUCTIVE flames, GAAH! I would love tips to make my third story better. Oh, and I'm sorry for all the flashbacks... I truly am…**

**-Iwannabeamongoose out...**

(Sergeant Perez)

Sergeant Derek Perez had been serving in the New Jump City Police force for seven years, since Nightwing had seized power, claiming he would make Jump City 100 villain-free. The former Teen Titan had tripled the manpower of the police and had gradually killed, captured or driven off almost all of the "bad guys". The problem was, with all the fire fights going on between the police and the villains, the city had slowly slipped into a state of decay, destroyed cars littering the sidewalks and roads, collapsing buildings left to crumble... their inhabitants left to live on the streets. Even after this, no one dared question the omnipotent Nightwing and his elite group of superheroes; people who openly questioned him had a tendency to disappear...

Perez laughed to himself and blew into his hands to keep them from freezing in the night's cold. He wasn't complaining, He'd gone from a high school dropout to a sergeant, earning triple what he did at his old janitorial job. This job kept his family warm and fed. He stood up and stretched before walking stiffly towards the other side of the truck.

"Hey O'Flanagan, everything all right?"

"Freezin' my ass off over here!" his partner replied, in his gruff, Irish voice.

"Oy, when the hell is the backup coming?" Perez called back, "We can't move this tree without them." He received only a grunt in answer.

They had been on their way to deliver a cache of experimental weapons to the military lab when Perez, who was driving, had barely avoided running into a huge tree that was lying across the one lane road. Since then, after calling in their problem, they had spent an hour standing guard outside the truck, making sure no unwanted visitors were approaching. Perez yawned and scratched the back of his neck. Bored out of his mind, the only thing that kept him from falling asleep was the frigid cold. _Shoulda brought my kids' mittens…_ As his tired eyes surveyed the horizon for the thousandth time, they snapped open as they caught sight of something moving. Something inhuman.

With practiced ease, Perez unslung his SAR-21 and called out a warning to O'Flanagan. As the thing bounded closer, Perez's felt his skin crawl, wishing he didn't notice the dark fur, the powerful muscles, or the moonlit claws and teeth. _What in god's name is that thing? _His thought was echoed by O'Flanagan as he came up beside Perez.

"Sweet lord baby jesus..."

Perez realized his mouth was hanging open and shut it quickly, switching the gun's safety off. The creature was only fifty yards out and had given up attempting to be stealthy. It sprinted toward them, letting out a snarl unlike any other Perez had heard. Perez shook off the stupor and let loose a burst of razor edged death at it. Just as he fired, it vanished into thin air.

"Shit, where did it go?" Breathed O'Flanagan beside him, swatting away an oddly colored moth that was flying by his ear. Perez felt the back of his neck prickling. _Just like a goddamn horror movie…_

"I dunno, I'm pretty sure I got it."

"Boo." The soldiers whirled at the sound of a third voice, hinting laughter. A silhouette sat cross-legged on top of the truck, looking down at them with an unmoving, grotesquely smiling face. As he looked closer, Perez saw it was actually a happy face drama mask that covered the man's face but left his mop of forest green hair open to the air. Other than the mask, he wore a black overcoat over a black shirt and black pants, with steel toed boots to complete the package. _I guess he's fond of black..._

"H-h-how d-did you g-get past us?" gasped Perez, feeling afraid for the first time in as long as he could remember. He recognized the man as someone he did not want to be meeting, least of all alone in the dead of the night. _This is Beast, number one on the New Jump City Most Wanted List. _Perez closed his eyes trying to remember the report he had been forced to memorize. _Oh right, now I remember:_ _ "Known for his ferocity and strength, not known for his kindness and mercy, this insane former teammate of our great leader has killed 68 police agents to date and is also wanted for theft of government property and resisting arrest. Be advised: Use extreme caution when fighting him. Threat level: Ultra Maximum." Ahhh, crap..._

"Who are you?" O'Flanagan demanded, obviously not remembering the report, and taking courage in the fact that this man hadn't ripped them to shreds as of yet.

"Well, I'd like to say something cliché, like 'I'm your worst nightmare!', but I feel like a change would be nice. How 'bout Xavier or Roscoe or supercoolmanguy? Nah, those don't quite have a ring to them..." _That was a lame joke…_ Perez exchanged glances with O'Flanagan as the guy continued to ramble on, stroking his chin and looking up at the stars as if waiting for inspiration.

"...Anyways, I guess I should hurry up with this. Why don't you guys just give me the I.D. card to the truck, then I'll take what I need and be on my way."

"I don't think so." Perez said, getting back to business. Lightning-quick, he drew his desert eagle and snapped off three shots at the figure squatting less than twenty feet away. Quick as a cat, the man rolled away from the bullets and smiled grimly at the two soldiers.

"Hard way, huh?" He let his head back and howled. To the amazement and sinking hearts of the men below him he gradually transformed, muscles and bones changing, jaw moving forward, teeth growing to nightmarish sizes, and dense green fur sprouting all over his body.

"Holy-" O'Flanagan had time for only one word before the were-beast leapt down on him and delivered a powerful uppercut, knocking him like a doll into a gnarled tree, where he lay unconscious. As the beast whirled towards him, Perez squeezed the trigger of his pistol several times, and watched with a glimmer of hope as a bullet struck the beast in the shoulder. The impact of the high calibur bullet affected the beast about as much as a toddler punching an adult would have. It looked at the blood gushing from the wound for a second, before fixing its cold, merciless gaze back on Perez.

It took several menacing steps towards him as he took several backwards. Soon he had backed into the side of the truck and was looking up at the eight foot monster that was about to tear him limb from limb. _Shoot the gun, you moron!_ Finally, remembering his weapon, he pulled the trigger with both trembling hands. Click. Click. _SHIT!_ Every obscene word known to both the English and Spanish language flowed from his mouth as he gaped in horror at his empty gun.

The beast grinned at him, before grabbing the pistol from his hand and twisting it into something that could be passed off as modern art or perhaps a metal balloon animal. Perez's lips quivered and he felt his bladder loosen as the beast advanced until its hot breath moistened his face. It's face spread into another sick smile, showcasing its teeth again. _As if I need a reminder of what a painful death this is going to be..._ Beast

"Oh, and I almost forgot. Send my regards to Bird Boy." the monster said in a deep, satanic voice, before its right hand came crashing into the side of his face in a bone crunching backhand. Perez saw stars and had time to watch as it ripped the truck door off its hinges before a cascade of darkness swallowed him.

Perez's vision swam as he tried to get back up. Slowly rising to his his feet, he saw O'Flanagan rubbing his head and popping several fingers back into place. He was wondering what had brought him back from unconsciousness when he heard the low growl of a motorcycle approaching. Finally, remembering what happened, Perez patted himself down, making sure he wasn't having some deathly hallucination and that he was still alive. _I thought Beast killed all his victims. …That's what all the police reports said. Hmm, I guess I'm lucky. Hey! I shot him too… Maybe I actually hurt him. Maybe I actually hurt the legendary BEAST!_ His grin of relief and pride slowly faded when he saw what remained of the truck. The doors had all been torn open and the cargo space was completely empty. His companion let loose a stream of colorful vocabulary when he saw what Perez was looking at.

"We. Are. So. Dead."

Before Perez could give an answer, he became aware of the motorcycle coming to a halt several yards away. He was about to angrily ask what took the backup so long, and why only one guy had come, when he noticed who climbed off the bike. He quickly snapped a salute and watched as O'Flanagan clumsily imitated him.

"What happened here?" came the icy voice of Nightwing.

"Beast, sir, he uhh snuck up behind us, sir. Beat the bejeezus out of us too, sir." Perez tried to cram in as many 'sir's as he could, hoping it might lessen the wrath of the ruler of New Jump City. After being walked through what happened and showed the droplets of Beast's blood staining the snow red, Nightwing stopped and faced them again.

"It's such a pity he didn't kill you sad maggots."

"W-w-why is that, sir?" both soldiers stammered in reply.

"Because now I have to get my hands dirty." Before any response could be given, Perez watched in petrified horror as Nightwing stepped forward and broke O'Flanagan's neck with an expert karate chop. Startled back into action by the sickening crack of his friend's spine, Perez made a break for it. Laden down with ammo and body armor, he made it only twenty steps before a black bird-a-rang caught him in the back, sending him sprawling in the snow. Screaming in pain, he pulled it out and rolled onto his back. He could only watch helplessly as Nightwing approached him with an indifferent expression.

"Sorry. Trust me, it's necessary." was all Nightwing said before his boot descended on Perez's face. Perez let out a pinched yell of agony as he felt his nose break from the first blow. The last thing he saw was the boot descending a second time, dripping with blood.

(Vic)

Victor Stone, Chief of the Police, sighed as he sat at his desk, absent-mindedly scanning over various cases. He'd received an order from his old friend, Nightwing, that all non-superhuman cases were to be put on low priority so he had a stack of them piled almost literally to the ceiling. Bored out of his mind, Vic slipped into a daydream.

He missed the good old days, before the revolution. He missed Starfire's childish, joyous laughter. He missed Robin's cheesy battle commands. He missed Raven's dry voice and sarcastic jokes. But most of all he missed his best friend. He missed killing Beast Boy at every video game they played, arguing over meals, telling him not to mess around with the T-Car, and most of all BB's poor attempts at humor. Those days had seemed like they'd last forever. Kicking badguy butt, eating pizza, and hanging out. _Then Slade came back. _

_Flashback_

It had been two years after Trigon's death, and four of them – BB, Raven, Robin, and him – had been sitting in the living room doing normal stuff. He was whooping Beast Boy's ass in Mega Monkey Super Duper Evil Zombie Mutant Killer Attack 4, Robin was reading the newspaper, and Rae was reading some Edgar Allen Poe book, while Starfire was off shopping at the mall. He had just stolen a zombie kill from the grass stain when the TV monitor switched to a familiar face, causing everyone, even Raven, to snap their attention to the TV. Beast Boy had started to say something about Cyborg cheating, until the face on the screen registered in his brain and he stopped abruptly. Starfire's bruised, tearstained face filled the screen. The camera then switched to a grinning Slade, who was looking quite pleased with himself.

"Slade." Robin clenched his jaw and spoke in the grim voice he reserved for Slade. **(Author's note: Has anyone ever noticed that whenever Robin sees Slade, he says "Slade" in the exact same voice? Simply infuriating to me…)**

"Hello, Titans." The villain said in his smooth, malevolent voice.

"Let her go, dude!" cried Beast Boy, his face distorted with rage. But his anger was not even close to that of Robin, who was seething in uncontrollable fury. The boy wonder had turned a shade of deep magenta and arteries could be seen pulsating in his neck. Closing his eyes and shuddering with boiling hatred, Robin addressed Slade.

"What do you want." muttered Robin in a subdued, defeated voice laced with despair.

"Oh , you'll find out soon enough, Robin. Until then, please do try and enjoy your day." After that brief message, the screen blurred and went back to the pause menu of the game. Immediately Robin had rushed to his motorcycle and had searched Jump City for the rest of the day, all to no effect. When he had returned the Titans had told all the other superheroes about the situation and were sending out patrols regularly. Finally, at 3:00 AM, Cyborg's battery had started to run low and he had been forced to recharge.

When he woke up, twelve hours later, he knew something was wrong. As he walked sleepily into the common room, he didn't see Raven preparing herbal tea, or Beast Boy making the disgusting white stuff he called food. He had convinced himself that they were mourning or searching with Robin or sleeping. After all, those were logical explanations. Then the door had been kicked in and Robin had entered, half-sobbing, half-fuming.

"What happened, man?" Cyborg had asked putting his hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Beast Boy and Raven. They took the ransom for Star and ran. They're gone."

"WHA?" Cyborg still couldn't believe they would do something like that. _ I mean they were good guys. Not to mention they didn't exactly love each other's company. _His thoughts were interrupted as the TV screen crackled to life. Slade had called again, asking when the package would be delivered, and only smiled sweetly when he was told it had been stolen.

"I suppose I will have to find another way of getting what I want."

"Now wait a minute, I'm sure we can work something –" Before Robin could finish, Slade ended the transmission. Robin put his head down, and stared at the table, eyes watering.

"BEASTBOY!!!" Robin's sudden outburst of pure hatred had surprised Cyborg that day, but looking back on it, it was quite justified. They had spent the next three days looking everywhere for Star, but had been unable to find her.

Robin had lost his mind on the third day. The two of them had just returned from another fruitless searching expedition when they had found an ominously large package on their front porch... complete with a pink bow.

"Oh no. ohnohnoohnoohno..." Robin had trailed off and sunken to his knees as Cyborg opened the package. Inside lay Starfire. Her wrists had been bound by titanium wire and her throat had been cut open from ear to ear, creating a ghastly smirk as if to contrast the many gleeful smiles she had made during her short life. **(Author's note: Don't hate me!!! I do like Starfire. I wish I didn't have to kill her off, but to create the right atmosphere and get the plot moving, she needs to die. SORRY)**

_End Flashback_

Robin had never quite recovered from that day, smiles growing more and more infrequent. At first, Robin, assuming the identity of "Nightwing" as a wistful reminder of Starfire, had contented himself capturing more and more criminals and searching for the two titans who had deserted him. However, he gradually became paranoid about who was a badguy. When at last, five years later, Nightwing had overthrown the government and turned Jump City into a dark city-state teeming with metahumans, the only similarity between the man Vic was police chief for and the teen Cyborg had been friends with was their fighting styles. Even if he had changed, Robin was still Cyborg's and Vic's leader, and he would follow Robin no matter what.

Vic's reminiscing was disturbed when his phone rang. As he picked up the phone and muttered a professional "Stone here" his thoughts drifted back to Beast Boy and Raven. How could they have done what they did? Yet again, his thoughts were disrupted, this time by the familiar voice of his secretary, Sheri. Her New York accent brought a faint smile to his face, as it was so stereotypical of every secretary in every movie.

"Mistah Stone? Lieutenant Cahlton just cahled from a crime scene. Apparently Beast and Raven hit anothah shipment of weapons. Seahgeants Perez and O'Flanagan are both dead."

Vic's smile vanished instantly and was replaced by a dark and serious expression. He was sorry to hear about Perez and O'Flanagan. They had both been fine soldiers... not to mention his drinking buddies. However, it was the mention of his former teammates that really got to him. How could two of the world's finest superheroes go from saving lives to killing cops? Any doubts he had had about their guilt had been dismissed when they had failed to contact him after Starfire's death. In addition, they had escaped all attempts to capture them and had been a constant thorn in the side of Nightwing's reign. This was the third shipment of weapons they had hit in the last month and the 9th and 10th murders in the same amount of time.

"Cahlton has also requested ya presence at the crime scene, Mistah Stone." his secretary continued.

"Ok," he replied, wearily. "Tell him I'm on my way." After grimacing at the time – 2:30 AM – Vic slowly left the nearly deserted station and walked stiffly to his 2015 Mercedes-Benz. His big frame barely fit into the small car and he didn't love it nearly as much as the T-car. His mind set in a black mood, he drove on the icy roads towards the secluded area where the double-homicide had taken place.

As he drove through the streets of the once beautiful city, he tried not to notice the gangs of homeless people in every alley. Scores of men, women, and children could be seen huddling in the shadows around makeshift fires. Several of the men stepped up to throw bricks at him, until they noticed who he was and shrank back into the alleys. Again he was reminded of the good ole days when he drove by the pizza parlor they always used to go to. It had closed six years ago and had been looted of everything except for the barely working neon sign and one of the umbrellas. He let out a sigh of relief as he reached the city limits and drove into the still beautiful countryside. Happy to escape the depressing scenery of the city, Vic traveled on, snow falling in a peaceful manner, as if everything in the world was just peachy. Vic glanced up at a nearby oak tree and did a double take as he thought he saw a lithe form in an overcoat watching him. No one was there when he looked the second time. _Looked like BB. That was kind of weird. _This thought lasted only a fleeting moment before he shrugged it off and continued to the crime scene.

**Author's note: End of Chapter one. OOOOOOO!!!! Things will be confusing for a while. Please don't write this off as bad writing, cuz I am just trying to make things suspensful. And I'm sorry for all the notes too…**


	2. Beast's Nightmare, Nightwing's Memory

**Author's note: Chapter two, hooray! Well, I just had to write a story in this genre, and it is much harder than I thought… Well, I hope you enjoy and that I haven't completely wasted my time…**

(Beast)

Beast watched through the eye slits in his mask as Cy drove away, no doubt to inspect the bodies of the men Beast had spared and Nightwing had murdered. A single tear ran down the green man's face, but the flow of his memories was quickly halted as a stab of extreme pain shot through his shoulder, reminding him of his wound. Apparently the rush of adrenaline that had numbed the pain had passed, and he needed to get home very fast. He had already stashed the weapons in a safe place, where they could be recovered or destroyed at any time. He morphed into an eagle, only to find that his left wing was crippled.

_So much for subtlety. Were-beast it is._ He changed into his juggernaut form and began loping towards the city Cyborg had just left. As the hulking behemoth bounded across the icy hills, the human mind inside focused on the face of the person awaiting him to distract himself from the pain that shot through the left side of his body every other step. A soft smile uncharacteristic of a monster crept across his face as if just the thought of Raven was enough to soothe his wounds. Since they had escaped the tower, they had formed a bond stronger than most loves. He had saved her and she had saved him many times. When they were titans, the most they did was flirt subtlely, but the day they had stopped being titans was the day fate herded them together and they had fallen in love. His body on auto-pilot, Beast's mind wandered back to the day that things had changed.

_Flashback_

After receiving the message from Slade, Beast Boy had worked as hard as any of them to find and rescue Starfire. He had endured searching through the muck of the sewers; he had effortlessly flown to and checked out all caves in the tri-county area; he had tiredlessly looked for Starfire in the old Carnival property where Slade had fought with him over Terra. He had scanned all of Jump City that he could, only returning back at the tower at five o'clock in the morning. As he walked dismally through the front doors and began to stumble towards his bedroom, he wondered if any of the others had fared better. This slight hope was crushed when he realized that he definitely would have been called if Star had been found. His shoulders slumped and his ears drooped as he resumed walking towards his room to catch a couple of hours of sleep. He'd regroup with the others and search someplace new the next day. His sweat stained figure stopped abruptly as he passed the Communications room. From inside he could hear two voices conversing. Although his superb ears could not tell what the voices were saying from his current vantage point, Beast could make out that one voice was very calm, while the other was trembling with rage and fear. Unable to contain his curiousity, Beast Boy crept up to the slightly open door and laid an ear to the crack...

_End Flashback_

Beast's nighttime daydream was cut short as he approached the ratty slums where he shared a cheap flat with Raven. With Nightwing and all of New Jump City on a manhunt for them, they had registered under false names. He was Raphael something-or-other and Raven was Candy Sweetums. Almost breaking down in laughter even now, seven years later, Beast had to stifle a bout of hysterical giggling as he remembered the priceless expression on Raven's face when he had announced the fake names he had filled in on their forms. _"MY NAME IS WHAT?!?! " _She had proceded to beat some sense into him with their new frying pan, but it had definitely been worth it. The best part was the vein pulsing in her neck whenever their landlady called about the rent and used her "name".

At the time of their purchase, the place had been decent, if a bit cockroachy. Now, every building on the street was ramshackle and run down. Morphing into a mouse to avoid detection from the neighbors, he entered through a crack in the wall. After changing back to his normal form, he removed his mask and overcoat and started to greet the woman who was stretched on the couch. "I'm baaaaack" he said weakly before a wave of dizzyness swept over him and he fell to the floor.

(Nightwing)

Nightwing crouched by the body of the man he had killed first, an expression of pure indifference on his face. _How do they keep doing this? Every trap I lay, they avoid, every new weapon we come up with, they steal the prototypes and blueprints. _Nightwing did his best to control his fury and frustration and continue to look impassive. As he rose from the corpse, the four soldiers around him snapped smart salutes. Slightly pleased with the mix of fear and respect he received, Nightwing muttered "At ease" and turned again to the weapons truck.

"I guess not even titanium doors can stand up to Beast and Raven, huh sir–" the detective stopped his half joking sentence short when Nightwing gave him a deathly glare that would have scared even the old Raven. _These fools aren't good for anything. _As his gaze left the soldier to return to the truck, he picked up the sound of a car motor growing closer. _About time. Finally someone competent enough to tie their own shoes. _

Nightwing greeted Vic with a small smile as the giant of a man squeezed out of his car. "What took you so long?" Vic smiled wearily and ran a hand over the bald, human half of his head while shaking it in response. Nightwing realized he was exhausted as well and was unable to conceal a large yawn. "So what happened here, Rob?" Victor was the only person Nightwing allowed to call him by his old superhero name. Regretting having to lie to his best friend, Nightwing began to run Vic through the "course of events".

Nightwing was truly sorry to have to sacrifice good, loyal men, but his loathing for Beast and Raven far surpassed his compassion for ordinary human lives. He needed the normal citizens and soldiers to hate Beast and Raven. He need them to want to capture the two as much as he did. _I had what I needed to save Star. I was so close. They ruined EVERYTHING! _

"So basically the way I see it, is that somehow Beast snuck up on O'Flanagan and Perez, broke O'Flanagan's neck, then ran Perez down as he tried to run and beat him to death." Victor stooped by the second body, trying not to puke as he looked at what was left of his friends face. He then shook his head and shuddered, trying to rid himself of the horrific sight before him. Nightwing yawned again, rubbing his gloved hands together, reminded again of how tired he was. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes and looked at Vic's watch. _4:00. Fantastic._

"Rob, go home. You've had a tough day, let me take care of the rest." Looking reluctant, but secretly grateful, Nightwing accepted the offer and walked to his motorcycle. Mounting his bike, Nightwing took one last look at the crime scene before revving the engine and riding away. On the way back, he became the four hundred thousand and eighty second person this week in New Jump City to think back to the good-ole-days.

_Flashback_

It was a normal morning, he had been up late reading random villain files the night before and was dragging himself out of bed for his morning training. He slipped on a karate suit and headed to beat the crap out of a punching bag. As he walked through the training room door, he had a sense that he was being followed.

However, when he whirled around, there was no one there. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided that he'd watched one too many horror movies and began working out. After about ten minutes, he got the same feeling again. This time, he pretended to be heading for a machine near the door and doubled back, staying close to the wall so as to be out of the view of anyone watching from the door. To his satisfaction, a head peered slightly around the corner and recoiled with an "eeep" when it came face to face with him.

"Starfire? What are you doing up?" Robin asked, softening his tone from his normal voice, standing above the sprawled teen with a hand on her shoulder. Starfire blushed and looked away, obviously embarrassed to be caught spying on him. Finally she sighed and said in a small voice,

"I enjoy the viewing of you 'working out'. I am sorry if I have offended you. I did not mean to..." Now it was Robin's turn to feel embarassed as he realized that he had a hand on one of her bra straps. And the hormones raged! Despite all of the confusion and turmoil inside his body, Robin managed to get a hold of himself and reassure her. "It's fine Starfire. I don't mind. Actually, I'm kind of flattered..." Starfire's face lit up and she caught him in a bearhug before skipping off to go make herself some mustard pancakes. _Well, it's now or never, I guess. _

Robin called out after her. "Starfire. Umm, I dunno, do you want to go see a movie tonight? I mean like, just the two of us?" Robin trailed off, afraid of rejection as every other adolescent is when asking for their first date. "Oh yes, Friend Robin! I would be overjoyed to accompany you to the movies!" She paused and then added tentatively, "Does this mean that you are now Boy Friend Robin?" Robin blushed and then smiled lovingly.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Starfire beamed again and hugged him even tighter.

"Wonderful! I must go shopping for an outfit for this glorious occasion!" Robin smiled long after she had left. After about ten minutes in his happy little world, Robin decided to go to the kitchen and have breakfast. As he entered, Robin was greeted by the corny sound effects of Beast Boy and Cyborg's new game zombie-monkie game. Robin considered joining them, but he was too distracted, and instead sat down and pretended to read the newspaper, giving himself time to think about how great his day had just become. He was so lost in thought, that he almost didn't notice when the TV erupted into static.

_End Flashback_

Nightwing stepped off his bike, parking it in front of his palace of a house. On the outside he looked calm and composed, while inside he wanted to cry and rip something apart at the same time. Unable to control himself, he quickly unlocked his front door before collapsing on the floor, shaking while he sobbed quietly. After a couple minutes he stood up, a stony expression on his tearstained face. _Things were just starting to work out, but they had to take it all away. Beast Boy, Raven, I will kill you. I will make you suffer as you have made me suffer. If it is the last thing I do, I will find you, and I will get you. _Exhausted by his outburst and the long night, Nightwing stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the couch, fast asleep.

(Raven)

Raven sat on the saggy couch, intently watching the news to make sure Gar hadn't been caught or managed get himself killed. He had convinced her that he could handle the raid alone, saying that she needed a break. Massaging her temples, Raven tried to get herself to stop worrying. _Relax, Raven, everything's fine. If he got killed, Good Ole "Nightwing" would be parading his corpse all over the place, and the groveling dirtbags at Channel 5 News would definitely be covering the "heroic" story._ Sighing again, she tried to nestle herself into the comfortable couch and sleep. After several moments, she groaned in frustration and sat up, blowing a strand of violet hair out of her face. Worried sick, she tried to think of something, anything, besides Gar.

To distract her worried mind, she began an inner monologue, reflecting on anything she saw. _Well, this flat isn't so bad, especially considering the crap hole this city has become._ Their home consisted of a single bedroom with a king-sized bed, a bathroom, and a living room/kitchen combo. It was nothing compared to the tower, but Raven had no desire to ever live – or even go – there again. Her train of thought was derailed when she heard a familiar voice nearby. Gar stood hunched over, a few feet behind the couch. Blood trickled down from a gaping hole in his left shoulder, staining the black overcoat he wore even darker. "I'm baaaaack" he said painfully, trying to smile.

Even as Raven let out a cry of horror and leapt to her feet, his eyes rolled back and he began to collapse. Before his head could hit the floor, Raven caught him in a black aura and rushed to him, taking his limp form into her arms. _SHIT! Why did I let him go out alone?!?! _She quickly composed herself before carrying him to the sofa and laying him gently there. No sense of perversion ran through her mind as she tore off the overcoat and shirt with her powers and examined the wound. She was relieved to find that his heart was still beating and that the damage was not as bad as she'd thought. Rubbing a hand down her face, Raven willed her heart rate back to normal and quickly healed the injury. _Damn it, that was scary. He'll probably act as if nothing happened, and as if it's just another scar. _Reminded of scars, Raven ran her fingers across the many scars and burn marks that made Gar's chest look like a replica of some nameless World War One battlefield. Anger coursed through her at the thought of the origin of most of the blemishes.

The anger dispersed however, and her face softened when she caught sight of the slow rise and fall of Gar's chest as he slept. His tongue was hanging slightly out of his mouth, complete with a small trail of drool _He's cutest when he sleeps…_ Smiling slightly, she removed his mask and kissed him tenderly, ignoring more defects on his face. Hands glowing black, she lifted him up off the sofa and tucked him into bed, kissing him on the forehead. As she walked out into the livingroom to turn off the lights, she remembered the night they had left the tower.

_Flashback_

Raven lay on her back in the darkness, her restless mind making it impossible for her to sleep. She had rarely had trouble hiding her emotions before, but now she felt as if she needed to cry like a baby. _Starfire never knew how much our "girl talks" meant to me. She has so much to learn and experience here on Earth. She can't die now. _A single tear meandered down Raven's face as she squeezed her eyes shut as far as they would go. "She can't. She j-j-just c-a-an't" Her quiet sobbing was interrupted by an urgent knock on the door and a soft whisper calling her name. _Beastboy?!? What is he doing up? What is he doing here? He can't see me like this. No one can. _Rubbing her eyes, she answered the door and pretended to be annoyed. "What do you want?" She growled, sharper than she intended. She stopped puzzled at the state Beast Boy was in. His eyes were wide and wild, and he was panting as if he had run the whole way to her room. _She can't be dead_ "What happened to you? They didn't find Starfire, did they?" Beast Boy shook his head before looking into her eyes.

"Raven, please, you have to trust me. Grab some clothes, we have to go. I'll explain on the way." Raven hesitated, all logic screamed at her to stop him and demand that he explain everything right there, or even go to someone more reliable, like Robin, and get the facts from him. Something in Beast Boy's eyes stopped her from doing that. After one more moment of hesitation, she went back into her room stuffed some clothes into a bag, then followed him out.

_End Flashback_

Stifling a yawn, Raven walked back into the bedroom and climbed into bed besides Gar, drifting off to sleep with her head resting on his chest.

(Vic)

Something wasn't right. Of course, to Vic things hadn't seemed right for a long time, since the Titans split up, but tonight things seemed especially wrong. Vic was still at the scene of the double homocide, and had decided to take one last look at the bodies before they were taken to the coroner's. _It just doesn't add up. Here you have a super-villain with the ability to literally dismember people, and yet the methods in which Perez and O'Flanagan were killed... No claw marks. Just a single stab wound from a thrown knife or some other weapon. Unless Beast has been training to be a ninja, I see no reason for him to carry a weapon like that. _Vic sighed and recovered the body of Perez. Turning to two men, he gave them a thumbs up, signalling that the bodies were all clear to be taken away. Taking a weary look around himVic saw that his men were even more tired than he was. _We're not getting anywhere. I can't think straight. _"Ok fellas, let's pack things up, we'll pick it up in the morning. See you then." Murmurs of tired approval and grins surrounded Vic as he walked to his comically tiny car. Vic opened the car door and squeezed himself in, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. _I should be feeling rage right now. I should be unquestionably angry at Beast Boy and Raven. Something, something isn't right. It was definitely them who stole the weapons, but I think someone else killed the soldiers. The question is, has it been this other person killing my men all along? _

Lost in thought, Cyborg was surprised to find that he had already arrived home. Both his human and machine halves exhausted, Cyborg took a look at his remaining battery life before hurriedly plugging himself into his charger and powering down.

(Beast)

His eyes were bloodshot, tears of quiet misery and pain streaming from them. His powers had deserted him. The steel table he was strapped to was so cold that it burned his skin in all the places not covered in warm sticky blood. Searching for any way out that he could, Beast Boy felt like a caged bird having its feathers plucked out one by one. His captor stood in the shadows, preparing his next "gift" for his visitor. Beast Boy closed his eyes and tried not to think about what could come next. He could tell that the metal pipe used first had broken his nose and shattered several ribs. Next had come a cold metal scalpel, which the insane man had used to on Beast Boy's torso and face, eliciting screams of agony, but not the information that he wanted. Again, Beast Boy looked in vain for some way out. _I can't get away. I can barely breathe, let alone move. At least she got away. That's what matters. That's all that matters. Fuck, it keeps getting worse and worse. Why is he doing this? He know's I am not gonna tell him where she is. _His racing mind slowed to a halt as the figure stepped back into the light. An expression of mixed grief and sick hatred distorted the face of the Titans' team leader. He held a pot with some bubbling substance in it.

"All you have to do to end this is tell me where Raven is. Did you really think you could get away from me? TELL ME, YOU GREEN PIECE OF SHIT!" Punctuating his demand with a backhand smack, Robin looked expectantly at Beast Boy. "Nothing? Your choice. Do you know what this is? A-C-I-D. Do you know what that spells? You probably don't because you're a goddamn moron, and I won't waste intellect on telling you what kind of acid, but what I will say is this; you're in for one hell of a ride. The pipe, the knife? Taps and scratches compared to this. One last chance... nothing? Well, okay then..."

In a sudden and violent motion, the bucket was upended over Beast Boy's face and chest. Abandoning all human screams, Beast Boy howled at the top of his lungs, writhing and digging his claws into his palms. Smiling slightly, Robin took off his latex gloves and walked out the door. "I'll finish you later." Muscles contracting and teeth grinding, Beast Boy sagged back onto the table. _No one can help me now._

_End Dream Sequence_

Beast's eyes shot open and he started shaking, his old wounds giving off a phantom ache as if they had just been inflicted. Continuing where his dream self had left off, Beast raised his head and howled a low mournful cry. Claws began to sprout from his fingers and his teeth lengthened. Just when he was about to lose control, a pair arms brought him back, wrapping around him in a hug. Raven's cool, soft skin against his chest made his blood stop boiling. As his fangs and claws retracted, Beast laid his head back against Raven's neck. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her calming scent. As he slowly crushed the tears welling up in his eyes he noticed an expression of fury on Raven's face. Confused and mistaking it as directed towards him, Beast stammered an apology. "I'm sorry Raven, I know this is getting old. I get it almost every night, but tonight's was the worst..." he felt his cheeks moisten as he choked out more words. "I could feel everything. It was like it all happened again..." Raven, embarassed at his misinterpretation, looked down put a hand on his forehead. "Gar, you know I'm not mad at you. It still pisses me off what he did to you." As the fear from his dream dissipated, Beast remembered what had happened before he passed out. He instinctively put a hand to where the bullet hole had been a few hours ago. Not a trace. Realizing what Raven had done, and that she had carried him to bed too, Beast brought his lips to hers. "Damn, you're good." he whispered, not breaking off the kiss. After several more moments Raven pushed him away playfully and smirked. "I know. Now you should go back to bed. I don't mean to sound like a nanny, but you need your rest." Smiling, Beast rolled over and pretended to sleep. _I am lucky to have someone like her. She saved me tonight, she saved me then._

_Flashback_

Beast Boy still lay on the table, bleed spurting from several incisions, puss bubbling from some of the worst burns on his body. Robin had been gone about five minutes, and still the acid felt as if it had just been poured on him. Whimpering softly, all Beast Boy could do was wait for his tormentor to return. Suddenly a figure came through the door frame. Beast Boy cringed, closed his eyes and turned away, but no insult or blow came. Instead, there was a sharp intake of breath and feet rushing to his side. Puzzled, Beast Boy looked up to find Raven standing above him, examining him in horror. Grasping the situation and shaking off her shock, Raven telekinetically freed Beast Boy. He tried to stand and walk, but his knees buckled. Catching him and supporting him, Raven began to heal him, crying at the price he had had to pay for her. Beast Boy grimaced and forced a smile. "We should go. He could come back at any time. I can take it for a few more minutes." Raven silently nodded and carried him through the wall into the cold night's air.

_End Flashback_

Cuddling up next to the already asleep Raven, Beast started to snore peacefully.

**Author's note: End of chapter two. Looking back, I really regret using all the flashbacks… I suppose if you like movies like The Prestige and stuff, it will be fine. Again, I'm sorry (sheepish smile)**


End file.
